German company SAP SE was instrumental in supporting the university's startups. What started with joint business incubator events and accelerator programs in 2013 grew into a partnership. Accelerators In spring of 2015, ITMO University launched the Future Technologies accelerator for startups in instrumentation, robotics, optics and photonics, biotechnologies and energy efficiency. In the future, the organizers hoped to attract companies working in new materials and alternative energy. The participants receive a three-month training course as well as free office space, supplies and consultations with experts in research and business. They can apply for a 300,000 ruble grant that covers expenses for research and development. In the first session, 10 companies were selected to participate out of 70 that applied. At the end of June, the startups presented their projects at the international conference Russia-EU Startup Match-making Event in Brussels. SumIT startup accelerator takes place at the university every six months since 2012. The top ten teams from the previous sessions from Russia, Finland, France and USA secured funding from $20,000 to $200,000 and several settled in the startup accelerator iDealMachine. World Programming Championship In 2004, ITMO University scored its first victory in the International Collegiate Programming Contest ACM-ICPC, and by 2017 it became the first in history seven-time winner of the competition. In 2013, ITMO University was the first Russian university to host the ACM-ICPC Finals. Some 120 teams representing 2,322 universities from 36 countries participated in selection rounds. Russia was represented by 15 student teams. ITMO University scored a victory in the finals. ITMO Highpark In 2017, the university initiated the ITMO Highpark project, which entails the creation of a research, education, and innovation center with the university's second campus as its core. The future campus will be situated in the south of St. Petersburg, in the vicinity of Pulkovo Airport. The university administration's proposal was supported by the Governor of St. Petersburg and the Russian Government. On October 13, 2017, the Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev signed the corresponding executive order; on October 17, he made an official announcement of the project's launch at the Open Innovations forum. ITMO University's second campus, along with a Techno Valley and a Business Park, will be situated on an area of 87 hectares. The second campus, which will include an academic building, three research centers, a student club, a sports facility, dormitories, and a science museum, will cover an area of 41